Damaged Views
by secret22
Summary: Splinter gets hurt and something really bad happens to him so that his personality changes drastically. How will the turtles cope with their "new" master?
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** I moved the first poem to the prologue, so it would fit the chapters better. I might do a poem for each chapter.

a fearsome mask

tells a solemn truth

warmth from a sun's rays

dims shadows from a moon

a full glass

makes you die of thirst

a brush with death

makes you start to live

tears never shed

blinds smiles never shown

questions never asked

lead to answers never known

sit in the heart of fire

but feel as cold as ice

if you listen

you can hear silence

echo off silvery skies

by: me

* * *

Tiny drizzles escaped from gray clouds onto the hard, cold concrete. Different colors of glowing dots emanated from tiny houses, skyscrapers and tall lamps that loomed over the city. In the distance, a lone figure bounded across rooftops blending into the dim shadows surrounding him. All of a sudden, a loud BOOM and what sounded like the crack of a whip sounded across the starless sky. A wisp of blue cloth and the tips of two swords were revealed under the reflection of the streak of light but disappeared before anyone noticed. All that was left was a light imprint from a deep puddle of a small foot with only three toes…

* * *

"Put that down Mikey! It is filled with some serious flammable chemicals and materials that could cause a catastrophic event!" Don yelled while reaching for what looked like a black remote with all sorts of red and green buttons covering it. Don was clutching the faded leather handle of a screwdriver in his other hand so tightly his knuckles turned as white the cloth lying carelessly on his worktable. On the table, lay all types of devices not yet known to man that are in danger of being destroyed from Mikey's rath.

"I dunno what ya said bro, but the biggest red button was jus' calling to me dude!" Mikey said while slowly bringing his dark green finger down to press the button.

"MICHELANGELO stop being a befuddled, immature, bumbling idiot and give me the freaking...um(pauses to think)…object you are now holding in your possession!" Don managed to say with renewed anger.

"Hahahahaha! You're such a geek dude. You didn't even name it yet?!" Mikey said in between gasps as he fell to the floor rolling around and laughing. Don used this opportunity to his advantage and ran over and quickly snatched his 'object' up from the ground right next to the unsuspecting turtle. He then cradled it in his arms and stared angrily at Mikey. Before Don could make a nasty retort, Raph slammed the lab's door open with a terribly frightened look on his face.

"Masta Splinta fell an he ain't breathin'!" He yelled out to everyone in the room.


	2. chapter 1

What happens to a secret never told?

Does it nag you like a little kid in the store?

Or remain silent-

like its dead, then decomposes years later?

Does it repeat itself like a broken record?

Or keep fading and fading

until it blows away with the wind?

Or does it remain in you forever-

a small piece of you,

that keeps you together

that one piece, if taken out-

will make the greatest difference of all

by: me

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the silly little poem, I just thought it would fit the story. I guess, you will find out later. _Italics are thoughts._

* * *

After Mikey and Don heard Raph utter those horrible words, Don rushed into action barking orders at everyone. He pointed at Mikey.

"Mikey, call Leo and see if you can reach him on his shell cell, then call April and Casey. I'm going to need all the help I can get." Don turned to face his other sibling.

"Raph, show me where sensei is hurt, and be sure to follow every, single, thing I tell you to do carefully. I need full cooperation from you guys, this is our father we're talking about here."

While Raph and Don were running to the dojo, Mikey took out his cell and pressed the button that automatically ringed Leo's cell. He rocked back and forth on his heels waiting for the phone to stop ringing and for someone to pick up.

_Come on! Come on! Why isn't Leo answering?!_

Meanwhile...

* * *

Leo kept running across rooftops and jumped over anything in his way. Running and Jumping. Jumping and running. The familiar technique helped to calm him down, but was still no match compared to his racing heart. He just couldn't stop it! But it did seem to quell his anger for the moment. He stopped his physical excercise and sat cross legged on an apartment building. Leo tried to meditate but his mind was still in turmoil and he couldn't focus. He rested his hands on his knees and just breathed for a while letting his thoughts override his control.

_I'm starting to act like Raph-running off causing everyone else to worry. Certainly, not good for me or anyone else in this family. How could I be so stupid?_

_But I had every right to be angry..._

_NO! I acted extremely rude and innapropriate! All I accomplished out here is sore feet and probabbly a nasty cold later._

_Or maybe that was the right 'rude and innapropriate' response to something like that. My brothers did say I needed to chill out a little. Like a normal teenager-_

_HA! Like my family will ever be considered 'normal'. What's the point in acting like a human child if it risks my family's well-being? I don't have time to believe in something that wont happen. Their saftey is more important than my personal wants-when did I ever expect something more?_

Leo jumped out of his thoughts from the sound of his shell cell ringing next to his hip. Leo yanked it from the inside of his brown belt and flipped it open to check caller ID. He sighed with relief, it was Mikey. That meant no emergency, he was most likely just calling to see if Leo was alright.

_Or maybe it was an emergency-what if someone was hurt! I could answer it-just to see if everything's okay..._

Leo was now tempted to press the talk button and answer the phone. But he paused in his hand motion to reach for it and thought about something else.

_If it's nothing, I will just prove that I worry too much for my own good...Maybe this is the start to helping my family by not getting on their nerves as often. If they're happier, I'll have a better working team to. I'm only missing one call-that can't be too bad. If my family needs me they'll come and get me somehow._

Leo breathed in and shook his head to try to clear his mind of pestering thoughts; although he couldn't shake off the feeling something was wrong...

He excused it as his constant and annoying habbit to expect bad things that didn't happen. With that thought he tucked his cell safely into his belt buckle; breathed in again, deeply this time and tried to meditate his worries away.

* * *

"Towels, I need more clean towels and another bowl of cold water!" Don yelled across his lab while tenderly mopping his sensei's brow with a cold washcloth.

Raph held an armful of folded brown washcloths in one hand, and the porcelain bowl in the other. He dropped them carefully right next to where Don was leaning over Master Splinter on the makeshift bed. The 'bed' consisted of a spare matress on a hard concrete floor with couch pillows and blankets, but it was all they had until Casey came back from the store with Mikey. They were out getting pain killers and antibiotics while Don and April switched between doing research and tending to Master Splinter. Raph was on watch duty and followed every order he was given-for once. Also when Mikey and Casey returned he would go out and look for Leo. For some reason the blue clad turtle hadn't answered his shell cell.

_The one time Fearless chose not to answer his damn cell just had to be when we needed him here to help Masta Splinta...what rotten luck._

"Raph, stop sitting there and grab a new washcloth and help me clean sensei's wounds! You can brood over whatever has made you angry recently later." Don said while shoving a wet towel in Raph's hand.

_When I find Leo, he is soo in for it! If he shows up in this room anytime soon, I'm gonna pound im til he can't move his shell!_

Raph growled lowly and clenched his other fist, but grudgingly snatched the cloth from his brother's hand. But his grip on it grew gentle when he stroked it up and down the large gash on Master Splinter's arm. Don noticed this but decided not to comment. He turned to his own thoughts while dipping the towel in more water.

_Oh, Master Splinter I hope you'll be okay. We couldn't survive without you!_

_I'm not sure I'm smart emough to fix this...you fainted from something while training, but your perfectly healthy. These wounds are just from the sword in your hand and the bad fall, so what am I missing?!? _

_Leo, where are you?!_

All of a sudden, the lair door burst open with Mikey towing Casey behind him with a bunch of plastic bags filled with bottles.

"Yo, is anybody home? We're back from the store ya guys!" Casey shouted out loud.

"Casey Jones! Anyone in the sewers could of heard you yelling!" April scolded him after poking him harshly in the chest.

"FINALLY! How long does it take to pick out some freakin' Tylenol?!" Raph complained after getting up from the bed and stalking out of the lab. "Move outta my way dimwit, I gotta go fetch Leo and drag his shell over here." Raph said while pushing Casey onto the floor. He then ran out the door and into the sewer tunnels. The last anyone heard of Raph was the scrape of metal against concrete when he lifted up the manhole cover to climb up the ladder to the surface.

"So, like what was up with him?" Casey asked while pointing his thumb to the lair entrance where Raph used to be standing.


End file.
